1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to anti-collision support system and method having an alarming function which produce an alarm to a vehicular occupant and, preferably, having an automatic brake function which automatically applies a braking force to the vehicle to make an automatic stop for the vehicle, both functions being effected in a case where it is necessary to temporarily stop the vehicle due to an approach to a stop target object such as an obstacle or a temporary stop line at an intersection present in a forward direction of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A Japanese Patent Application First Publication No. Heisei 7-72246 published on Mar. 17, 1995 discloses an automotive collision preventing alarm system (so-called, anti-collision support system).
In this collision preventing alarm system, a time duration (Time to Control=TC) for the vehicle to reach to an obstacle which provides a cause to apply a braking force to the vehicle is a sum of a response time duration (so called, a free running time) from a time at which the alarm is issued to a time at which a vehicular driver performs a braking operation and a deceleration time duration Td required for the deceleration. An alarm generating timing is defined as a time at which the host vehicle (the vehicle in-which the collision preventing alarm system is mounted) has reached to a point of location by a distance Lc (Lc=Vxc3x97Tb+Vxc3x97V/2Ga) with respect to the obstacle.
In other words, in such a previously proposed anti-collision support system as described in the above-identified Japanese Patent Application First Publication, a set-up of the alarm generating timing is determined only by a vehicular driver""s braking operation response delay time (the free running time) Tb and the deceleration time Td required for the vehicular deceleration.
However, it is generally a common practice that the vehicular driver carries out such a deceleration magnitude adjustment manipulation as to suppress a nose dive (or squat) (a nose-down pitching phenomenon of the vehicle as on braking due to a vehicular body inertia) with a relieved damping force at a time point immediately before a vehicle stop. Otherwise, i.e., if the deceleration magnitude adjustment manipulation is not carried out, a large nose dive makes a vehicular occupant unpleasant. A time it takes for the deceleration magnitude adjustment manipulation is called a deceleration magnitude adjustment manipulation time TA (Time for Adjustment).
Since, however, this deceleration magnitude adjustment time TA is not considered in the above-described previously proposed anti-collision support system, the vehicle cannot make a stop at a desired point of location unless the vehicular driver continues such a braking operation as to maintain such a braking operation as to maintain the set deceleration Ga until the vehicle makes a stop. Consequently, there is an anxiety that the large nose dive would occur at the time of vehicular stop and a reactive shock would occur.
It is, hence, an object of the present invention to provide improved anti-collision support system and method for an automotive vehicle in which the alarm generating timing is determined with the time necessary to perform such a deceleration magnitude adjustment manipulation so as not to generate a large nose dive during a vehicular stop taken into consideration, the deceleration magnitude adjustment manipulation time being incorporated into the alarm generation timing in addition to the free running time Tb and the deceleration time Td and in which, if an automatic brake function is preferably installed in the vehicle, the automatic brake start timing is determined with the deceleration magnitude adjustment manipulation time TA taken into consideration in addition to the deceleration time Td.
The above-described object can be achieved by providing an anti-collision support system for an automotive vehicle, comprising: a vehicular stop position determining section that determines a stop position for the vehicle to be stopped based on a relative distance of the vehicle to a stop target object which provides a cause of an application of a brake to the vehicle; a deceleration start position determining section that determines a deceleration start position at which the vehicle is to start a vehicular deceleration for the vehicle to be stopped at the stop position from a vehicular velocity of the vehicle and the relative distance, the deceleration start position determining section comprising at least a deceleration distance calculating section that calculates a deceleration distance which is a vehicular running distance required for the vehicle to be decelerated and a deceleration magnitude manipulation adjustment distance calculating section that calculates a deceleration magnitude adjustment manipulation distance which is another vehicular running distance required to carry out a manipulation of an adjustment for a magnitude of the vehicular deceleration which would ordinarily be carried out at a time immediately before the vehicle is stopped; and an informing section enabled to inform a vehicular occupant of an approach of the vehicle to the stop target object while the relative distance is shorter than a distance of the vehicle to the deceleration start position and the stop target object.
The above-described object can also be achieved by providing an anti-collision support method for an automotive vehicle, comprising: determining a stop position for the vehicle to be stopped from a relative distance of the vehicle to a stop target object which provides a cause of an application of a brake to the vehicle; calculating a deceleration distance which is a vehicular running distance required for the vehicle to be decelerated from a vehicular velocity and the relative distance; calculating a deceleration magnitude adjustment manipulation distance which is another vehicular running distance required to carry out a manipulation of an adjustment for a magnitude of the vehicular deceleration which would ordinarily be carried out at a time immediately before the vehicle is stopped from the vehicular velocity and the relative distance; determining a deceleration start position at which the vehicle is to start a vehicular deceleration for the vehicle to be stopped at the stop position on the basis of at least the calculated deceleration distance and the calculated deceleration magnitude adjustment manipulation distance; and informing a vehicular occupant of an approach of the vehicle to the stop target object while the relative distance is shorter than a distance of the vehicle to the deceleration start position and the stop target object.
This summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all necessary features so that the invention may also be a sub-combination of these described features.